Cancelled – Entrepreneurial Toolbox Talk: Craig Morris

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About Entrepreneurial Toolbox Talks

Data shows that 70% of college graduates today express a desire to eventually start their own business. Workforce data suggests that 50% or more can expect to start their own business, or work in an early stage business, in their career.

PCE Entrepreneurial Toolbox Talks are designed to introduce students to information, tools, resources and potential opportunities beneficial to entrepreneurial success, whether in your own entrepreneurial endeavor or in any career setting where entrepreneurial awareness and an entrepreneurial mindset are of value.

Attend to enter the end-of-semester raffle for a chance to win an awesome prize!

Topic - Trademark Basics: What you need to know

If you are interested in creating a new brand, the name and the logo are key identifiers of your business. Entrepreneurs should take trademark law seriously! You must protect what’s yours and avoid infringing the trademarks of others. Just because you have the name of your brand or your business on your website or on a building does not mean it is fully protected by trademark law. You need to register your trademark/name with the USPTO to get maximum protection. The speaker will discuss:

How trademarks, patents, copyrights, domain names, and business names all differ.

Critical factors in selecting a trademark that will be federally registrable and legally protectable.

Clearance searches and whether to use an attorney, and impact of cease-and-desist letters.

Federal application process and the role of the USPTO.

How to avoid "scams" perpetrated by companies not associated with the USPTO.

What happens after registration and how to keep a registration alive.

About Craig Morris

Craig Morris works within the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Alexandria, Virginia. Currently, he is the Managing Attorney for Trademark Educational Outreach, spearheading the effort for increased USPTO educational activities in the area of trademark fundamentals. For fourteen years prior, he was the Managing Attorney for the Trademark Electronic Application System, focusing on making the Trademark Operation a total e-government environment. Mr. Morris has been with the USPTO since 1983, previously serving as a Law Office Examining Attorney, Senior Attorney, and Managing Attorney.